a. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to a voltage management system for one or more energy storage cells.
b. Background
Energy storage devices are used to power many electrical devices. The energy storage devices may include one or more energy storage cells connected in series and/or parallel to provide an output voltage. The energy storage device can be charged to store energy in the energy storage device and can be discharged to provide that energy to a load.
When the energy storage device is being charged one or more energy storage cells of the energy storage device may become overcharged. In order to prevent a potentially dangerous or harmful condition, the charging current is and energy stored in the one or more overcharged energy storage cells is dissipated from the cells until the voltage of the cell reaches a predetermined maximum voltage level.
Similarly, when the energy storage device is being discharged, one or more of the energy storage cells of the energy storage device may reach a minimum desired charge level. In double layer capacitors and certain types of rechargeable batteries, for example, a predetermined minimum charge level may be desired to be maintained in each energy storage cell of the energy storage device. When this minimum charge level is reached, the discharge of the energy storage device may be stopped and/or a charging current may be applied to the energy storage device to recharge the one or more energy storage cells.